In response to a $42 million budget shortfall, Pinellas County is proposing significant cuts to the County’s Parks and Recreation budget. These are set to include all lifeguards at Fort De Soto and Sand Key, and the elimination of the Shell Key and Weedon Island Preserves.
“Unfortunately, departments across the County have been forced to make tough financial choices due to new state-imposed financial burdens,” Paul Cozzie, Director, Parks and Conservation Resources, said in a letter sent to stakeholders on Thursday.
“New unfunded mandates from the state, like required increases to the pension funds for public safety and law enforcement officers, have left the County with a $42 million gap to fill for the coming fiscal year and all departments of the County Government were required to cut costs.
“This is unrelated to the proposed homestead exemption increase on the ballot in November,” Cozzie continued, highlighting the passage in his letter.
In an interview Thursday, County Commissioner Brian Scott expressed dismay with the potential cuts but emphasized the County had limited options with resources stretched thin.
“Every year we get unfunded mandates from the state. I think this year it’s $12 million; last year was in the $5-10 million range … We have to take it from general fund taxes,” he said.
“I don’t want to see us [make cuts], but we may have a fiscal reality where we need to do that.”
Scott warned that the pressure coming from Tallahassee to cut municipal budgets was likely to increase rather than abate, describing the 2027 budget as a “dress rehearsal” for the future.
“Even if Amendment 3 doesn’t pass, it’s going to come back in some other form,” Scott said. “Next year, every 20 years, the state has a budget and tax review committee. If Amendment 3 doesn’t pass, I’m quite sure they will take this up and it will come back in some other form.
“I don’t want to keep something in the budget or add something in the budget I’m going to have to take away next year anyway. People want relief.”
Weedon and Shell Key were selected for elimination from the budget due to the fact that they are owned by the State and simply maintained by Pinellas County, said Cozzie. Their staff would be reassigned. Per Scott, the lifeguarding program is understaffed and present at only a few beaches across the County.
Parks Director Cozzie suggested these cuts would realize savings of $847,000 in FY2027. “These proposed budget reductions are not a final decision and remain under review as part of the budget approval process,” he added.
“All of these budget cut decisions are extremely difficult,” Commissioner Kathleen Peters, whose district includes Weedon Island, said in a prepared statement. “But with a pending constitutional amendment to increase Homestead exemptions, we have little choice but to start cutting our budget now.”
Lawyer and Democratic state House candidate for District 62, Lindsay Poyega-Quigley, condemned the cuts to lifeguards and parks. “I funded my college education by lifeguarding,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have that. Unmanned swimming areas are at risk for drownings, and this has been exemplified across the state in areas where we don’t fund lifeguards.
“We’re already struggling to fund, and now we’re talking about cutting even more. This is the result – this is what happens when you don’t have enough money for essential programs.”
At Weedon Island, Friends of Weedon Island President Bill Fehring warned that withdrawal of County support would threaten its survival as a heritage site. “The Preserve has become an important recreational, educational, and cultural facility serving the Tampa Bay area, in addition to preserving the largest contiguous estuarine wetland area in Pinellas County.
“Given the uncertainty that the State could and would provide equivalent support for the Preserve, the abandonment of the current County program would likely result in the loss of most or all of the current significant benefits the Preserve provides Pinellas County citizens.”
Weedon Island has been run under a 50-year lease agreement agreed as a result of advocacy by then-Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd. Todd was concerned that Weedon was not being adequately protected under state management. According to documents shared with Catalyst, that lease agreement may be terminated with six months’ notice or at the start of any fiscal year where County funds are not appropriated for its upkeep.
“Weedon Island has a very special place in my heart. It is a true gem for Pinellas County,” said Peters. “It has been an honor for the county to manage that land since 1995.”
In a prepared statement, Melissa Rutland, a realtor and Republican candidate for District 62, which includes Weedon Island, said, “I disagree with the premise that fulfilling our commitment to public safety and law enforcement pensions must inherently result in the defunding of cherished local treasures like Weedon Island and Shell Key.
“I trust that when the Pinellas County Commission thoroughly reviews this proposed budget, they will identify more commonsense solutions that protect our first responders’ pensions while continuing to fully fund our parks.”
Reached for comment, Pinellas County Commissioner Vince Nowicki emphasized that the proposed cuts came from the County Administrator rather than the elected Commissioners. He added that he did not support the cuts. “There are a lot of other places to tighten our belts,” he said.
District 61 State Representative Linda Chaney (R–St. Petersburg) confirmed that she “will advocate at the State for funding for Weedon Island” at the state level.
“The County is responsible for their budget, and they have to do what they feel they need to do,” Chaney said. “And the voters are watching.”
“It’s important for decision makers and Pinellas citizens to recognize that County management of Weedon Island Preserve is essential for the protection and stewardship of numerous cultural heritage sites,” said University of Tampa Professor Kendal Jackson.
“County management also is the main mechanism for public access and engagement with the cultural and natural history preserved at Weedon Island.”
“I’m elated that Rep. Chaney and Commissioner Nowicki are working toward solutions for the continued stewardship and management of Weedon Island Preserve.”
The County budget presentation is scheduled for Aug. 11. Commissioners will expect to vote on the final budget sometime in September.
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